New York - The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) has condemned
yesterday's terrorist attack upon Israeli Arabs in the Israeli Arab town of
Shfaram. Eden Natan-Zada , an Israel Defense Forces' deserter wearing his
army uniform, opened fire on passengers onboard a passenger bus in a Druze
neighborhood of Shfaram, killing four people and wounding 12. Natan-Zada
(also known as Tzuberi) was killed by a mob that boarded the bus after the
shooting. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon issued a statement calling the attack
"a criminal act of a bloodthirsty terrorist targeting innocent Israeli
civilians," and has instructed security officials to make the investigation
of the incident a top priority.

ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said, "The murder of four
Israeli Arabs and the wounding of 12 more is a terrorist act which we
condemn unreservedly. This crime was committed by a deserter from Israeli
military service who had been absent without leave for several weeks. His
crime has been rightly and strongly condemned by the Israeli government and
across the Israeli political spectrum.

"Unlike the situation in the Palestinian Authority (PA), Israelis and
their government, along with Jews around the world, do not equivocate when
it comes to terrorism. The Israeli government, the Knesset, the media and
Israelis from all walks of life unambiguously condemn terrorist acts.
Contrast this to the situation within the PA, where terrorism is
institutionally encouraged and terrorists glorified in the PA-controlled
mosques, schools, media and youth movements. As the ZOA noted only
yesterday, a Palestinian college in Gaza just named a course in honor of
Wafa Idris, the first Palestinian female suicide bomber.

"Prime Minister Sharon's condemnation of this crime was clear and
unwavering. Unlike Mahmoud Abbas last month, when Palestinian terrorists
murdered two Israeli grandparents, he did not take 14 hours to issue a
statement or limit his condemnation to the repercussions for his
government's image. He did not make a statement like the one Abbas made
saying, 'These attacks threaten our national security and undermine our
credibility on the international arena . The Palestinian Authority will do
its utmost to prevent such damaging attacks,' implying that if they were not
damaging, he'd be fully in favor of them. Sharon did not shun describing
terrorist acts as immoral and disgraceful. And unlike Abbas and his
ministers blaming Israel for the acts of Palestinians, he did not blame
Palestinian actions for the crime of an Israeli. This points to the great
failing of the PA - its refusal to take responsibility for Palestinian
actions and to build a society that repudiates incitement and terrorism."